SANTA CLARA (KCBS)— Restaurants in Santa Clara County could soon be required to display color-coded scorecards showing patrons their history of health violations.

The proposal goes before the county’s board of supervisors Tuesday. The colored placards would also indicate whether or not the eatery has passed health code inspections. They would be green for pass, yellow for conditional pass or red for failure, which would also mean the restaurant, is closed.

The county’s former director of the consumer division of the Environmental Health Department, Heather Forshey, said one of the most common problems is not keeping food at the proper temperature.

Santa Clara County Supervisors Consider Restaurant Report Cards

“When a restaurant is unable to keep the food out of what we call the danger zone, between 41 and 135 [degrees], bacteria has a chance to grow and that is what ultimately can make someone sick,” she said.

The placard system was proposed by Supervisor Joe Simitian who called food-borne illness a major health issue.

The Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce has opposed the idea. They have said the score cards could confuse diners.

KCBS's Matt Bigler started as a reporter/anchor in 2004, and is now based in San Jose working out of the Silicon Valley Bureau. Matt co-anchors the 5:00am hour with Susan Leigh Taylor in San Francisco, and can also be seen on TV most mornings...